Isn’t it just amazing that in a world that seems so chaotic and hopeless, plagued with war and violence, climate change and global warming, infectious diseases and poverty, that we can still observe and experience the excitement of Christmas and be open to receive its message of hope, joy, peace and love? The Spirit of Christmas lives on, and every year one of the major highlights of the season is that of gift-giving that evidences a relationship between the giver and the receiver or the giver’s care and concern for the wellbeing of the recipient. That may very well be one of the reasons why Christmas is often described by many as the most wonderful time of the year and as the season for giving.
Although the practice of gift-giving predated the 4th Century of the Common Era when the celebration of Christmas became an important observance within Christendom, it is reasoned that gift-giving became an integral part of our annual celebration of Christmas because it reminds us of the greatest gift God ever offered to the world, that of Himself in the person of His Son Jesus Christ. In coming to us that first Christmas in human form, our God, by way of His divine intervention, gave us, not so much a material gift but more an experiential one – that of offering us an experience of Himself in a tangible way, the reality of His existence and presence with us, His goodness and love, His kindness and mercy as our Creator; and of His desire to rekindle a close and personal relationship with us and to enable the receipt of His help and guidance in this life. In that form of gift-giving, that of giving of Himself, our God has shown us the greatest gift we can ever offer anyone; that it is not the material gifts that truly matter in this life, although those are also appreciated and needed at times, but it is the experiential or incarnational gift of offering or gifting ourselves to others in love and service.
It is that of being supportive of and empathetic with others – our family members, our friends, our neighbours, our fellow citizens – during this journey of life, assisting them in their times of need and checking in on, mentoring and inspiring them to be their best selves for the higher good. That’s why our God gave Himself in Jesus Christ, that whosoever accepts and receives Him and His offer of love and allows Him to daily accompany them in their journey of life, He will offer them good counsel, respond to their every need, and enable them to avoid the pitfalls in life and live their best selves to experience abundant life – a joyful, peaceful and productive life.
Those of us who have accepted His gift of love, attention and counsel are to be inspired to share and live that incarnational presence with those in our nation who have lost all hope and have turned to destructive ways in life or thoughts of giving up. We are to draw near to those who need us most as God drew near to us that first Christmas, out of deep love and concern, recognising their needs and the heart of what hinders them from living their best selves or robs them of human dignity and decency.
Our children are growing up in a very unstable and confusing world, many of our troubled youth have left school without any certification or opportunity for employment, several of our elderly are facing abandonment, our homeless and vagrants long for a sustainable provision of food and shelter, our victims of abuse and the mentally troubled are hurting or contemplating self-harm. As citizens of this great nation, we must not only practise tokenised giving at this time of the year but rather ensure that spirit of incarnational giving, the gifting of self to better the lives of others, be our daily commitment even in the coming year.
Let us this Christmas, as we once again thank God for gifting Himself that we might live for the higher good, commit ourselves as a people and a nation to giving the greatest gift, more of ourselves, to aid the marginalised, the vulnerable and the helpless in our society and elevate them to a greater and more wholesome experience of this life that God desires for us all – an abundant life.
May we be a blessing to others as God truly blessed the world that first Christmas.
I wish you and yours, on behalf of my family and the Anglican Church in Barbados, a blessed and inspiring Christmas season and God’s continued favour in the year 2025.
Reverend Michael Maxwell
Bishop of the Anglican diocese
